Penulis: John T. Platts

Lallu Lal (c. 1763–1835) was among the pioneering figures in the arena of Hindi literature during the British Colonial period. His scholarly disposition was significantly bolstered under the patronage of Fort William College, Kolkata, established by the East India Company for the cultivation of Indian languages and the promotion of knowledge about Indian cultures amongst its British officers. The distinguished work of Lal that brought him literary prominence is “The Baitâl Pachchisi; Or, The Twenty-Five Tales of a Sprite”, which is a seminal translation and retelling of an ancient Sanskrit text, “Vetala Panchavimshati”. Rendered into simple yet captivating prose, the book encapsulates a collection of stories, each intertwined with philosophically engaging riddles, and played a vital role in propelling the Hindi language into the literary consciousness of both the Indian populace and Western academics. His approach to transferring the intricate essence of the original Sanskrit tales into the more accessible Khari Boli dialect of Hindi was met with acclaim and remains a benchmark in the development of modern Hindi prose. Lallu Lal”s translation was not only a work of cultural preservation but also an act of literary innovation, as it bridged linguistic and cultural gaps, echoing a confluence that has since become synonymous with the ethos of Indian storytelling. This historic act of literary alchemy by Lal exemplified the symbiotic relationship between translator, text, and the emergent linguistic identity during the early 19th century in Indian literature.